


Tied

by LeChatNoir1918



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: F/M, Phryne knows her knots but so does Jack, set somewhere after 2x12, trying to cure my writer's block, veeeeery light bondage I suppose, whatever it takes to get them to smooch amiright, with whatever this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:41:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26008927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeChatNoir1918/pseuds/LeChatNoir1918
Summary: A case involving a body tied to a bed turns out to be just the push Phrack need to take the next step in their relationship. With some additional pushing from Phryne.
Relationships: Phryne Fisher & Jack Robinson, Phryne Fisher/Jack Robinson
Comments: 70
Kudos: 184





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Scruggzi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scruggzi/gifts), [Allison_Wonderland](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allison_Wonderland/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... have not been feeling inspired and thanks to Scruggzi and Allison_Wonderland's wonderful suggestions I have managed to at least put something on the page! I'm not sure I really fulfilled either one of your prompts but they undeniably inspired me and served as guidance, so THANK YOU 💕😂 Sigh. Also, this was meant as a 2 hour challenge for myself which turned into like 4 hours in the middle of the night and so I apologise for any spelling errors etc. and also the ending. The ending as of now, anyway.

It would forever be a mystery to Jack how Phryne managed to show up at virtually every one of his crime scenes only shortly after he had gotten there himself or even before him. And more often than not, she seemed to have some sort of information that put her one step ahead of him. 

So Jack was less surprised than he maybe should have been when Phryne was already waiting for him at the address of a Mr. Winston Farrows who had called in that morning to report a dead body in his home. Miss Williams was standing by her mistress’ side, notepad in hand. There was a man standing with the two women, whom Jack presumed to be Mr. Farrows, looking a bit sickly, his head close to Phryne's, her hand stroking his shoulder. Well then. 

Jack introduced himself to the man who did in fact turn out to be Mr. Farrows and barely got through one question before the man turned away to vomit into a hedge, obviously affected by what he had found. Dot offered to stay with him and Jack nodded gratefully before turning and heading towards the house.

“Fancy seeing you here, Miss Fisher,” Jack spoke when Phryne quickly caught up to his side as he strode up the steps to the rather elegant mansion in front of them. 

“You know I can’t resist a murder, especially not one as… exciting as this one,” Phryne smirked when they reached the front door, her delight at once again knowing more than him evident on her face. 

Jack sighed, looking over his shoulder, expecting to see Hugh behind him, raising an eyebrow when he saw his constable still standing by the side of the road with Miss Williams. They’d have to have a talk about keeping their private lives out of work, Jack determined before calling out to Hugh, who flinched and blushed, before hurrying over, but not before Dot had lent him the notes she had taken. When had their investigations become shared endeavors again?

Before Jack could finish the thought, Phryne had already pushed open the front door and entered the home, taking careful steps around the items of clothing littering the hall. 

_Oh._

“So tell me, Miss Fisher, what did you say was so exciting about this case?” 

“I didn’t,” she answered brightly. “But I’m sure you’ll find it just pulls you in.” 

At the look of slight exasperation on Jack’s face Phryne’s expression softened and she leaned into him conspiratorially. Jack automatically leaned closer as well. He was briefly distracted by Phryne’s scent and the way her pupils seemed to dilate just so at his proximity, before dropping his eyes to her mouth and registering that she was talking. 

“My friend Winston is… well, he likes to frequent certain clubs, shall we say.” 

Jack raised one eyebrow, wondering if he actually wanted to know where this was going.

“In fact, he’s offered his home up for certain special events in the past.” Now they were moving, Phryne’s arm linked through Jack’s as she guided him through the house, past rooms with rumpled beds. Jack swallowed when they passed a mirror that had a whip of some sort hanging off of it, suddenly reminded of a certain experience from him constabulary days. 

“I’m assuming it was Winston who informed you of the murder as well,” Jack commented instead, reminding himself that he was a grown man now, unlike Hugh, who eyed the whip with boyish innocence, probably wondering what it was doing here and not in the stables with the horses.

“Excellent deduction, Jack!” Phryne whispered as they stopped in front of a closed door and she pushed it open. Jack’s eyes widened involuntarily as he took in the scene in front of him, while Phryne’s hand around his bicep tightened slightly. 

In the middle of the room was a large four poster bed, a barely dressed male body lying in the middle of the sheets. Each of the man’s limbs was tied to a post, leaving him exposed and helpless. Jack couldn’t see any obvious external injuries, though he’d have to wait for Mac’s report to be sure of course. Speaking of, the doctor should be showing up any minute now.

From behind them came a gasp and Jack remembered that Hugh was still there. He was grateful that the man on the bed at least had his privates covered, though the rest of the set-up left little room for speculation as to what had taken place before the death. 

“I will have to interview your friend, that’s for sure,” Jack remarked, and Phryne rolled her eyes.

“Already taken care of,” she informed him. “Winston says he wasn’t in this room once last night, but he has a list of the attendees, one of them was here with our victim I should think. At least one, anyway.”

Jack stilled, ignoring Phryne’s teasing comment and instead narrowing his eyes as he turned his head to look at her. 

“When exactly did you say you got here this morning?” He questioned, rolling his eyes when Phryne’s voice pitched higher in response.

“Winston may have called me a _bit_ before he called the police,” she explained, her head tilted in a way that showed off the sharp line of her cheekbone and jaw, the slope of her neck below… _no_. Jack blinked, refocusing on her words. He wasn’t sure when she had become such a distraction to him, because while she’d always been one, lately it seemed… more, somehow, like his body and mind craved her night and day. And yet he hadn’t done a single thing about it, instead watching as she went into the arms of other men, like Winston, although Jack suspected that Winston may not be interested in the parts Phryne had to offer. 

“Well, Winston _did_ call you eventually,” Phryne defended, seemingly not having noticed his eyes, or mind for that matter, wandering. “He was worried that the police might take an interest in his activities at such events, rather than the murder, but I assured him that you were very… focused, on the issue at hand.” 

Jack was speechless for a moment, before shaking his head. He really had to try to encourage her less. Though he did acknowledge and appreciate her trust in him. “So there was one of these… events happening last night, you said?”

“Yes! It was great fun from what I’ve heard. Well, except for the death.” Phryne finally let go of his arm, and Jack found himself almost missing the touch, before his attention was captured by Phryne walking up to the bed, trailing a hand over the knots around one of the man’s ankles. Jack hadn’t moved but now realized that it was probably best if he just went along with things and caught up with Phryne on the way. He sighed and signaled for Hugh, who had sufficiently recovered from his scandalized shock, to join him as he walked over to the other side of the bed to inspect their victim. 

“Winston isn’t sure who he is, but he’s sure he was a guest, he recognized his mask.” 

A mask of feathers and silk covered the upper half of the man’s face, no doubt meant to obscure his identity. By what was visible of the man’s features and his physique, Jack estimated him to be no older than 30, voicing his thoughts out loud which earned him an appreciative look by Phryne. 

“Whoever tied him up knew what they were doing,” she mused, leaning over to examine the knot in front of her from all angles. 

“By all means, do share your knowledge on knots, Miss Fisher,” Jack spoke dryly, remembering the last time she had told him about Portuguese sailors and tied his tie while standing altogether too close. He regretted his invitation almost immediately as a dangerous smirk crossed Phryne’s face. 

“Well, to the best of my knowledge, I would say that these are knots commonly used in the art of Shibari. Or... Kinbaku, if you prefer.” 

Jack tried to not look as lost as he felt, never having heard either of the terms. 

“Ancient Japanese arts of… restraining others.” Phryne said with an expression all too sweet.

“Like the police do?” Hugh asked innocently while Jack felt a blush creeping up his neck as he realized what Phryne was saying. 

“I believe what Miss Fisher is referring to generally finds application in other areas,” he spoke, clearing his throat slightly. 

“ _Well,_ Hugh, I’m sure _some_ policemen would also find these arts to be useful,” Phryne simpered at Jack, her eyes trailing down his body in a manner so blatant that Jack found himself stepping forward to block Hugh’s view, not that his constable seemed to be picking up on what Phryne was putting down.

“Thank you, Miss Fisher.” He ground out.

“What, you don’t agree, Jack?” She taunted him with a wink. 

“Oh, if the suspect was proving to be uncooperative enough, I’m sure _some_ policemen would consider it.”

He knew Phryne hadn’t expected him to play along, much less at a crime scene, in front of Hugh, and the grin that spread across her face was far from appropriate given that they were standing over a dead body. 

“Care to let me in on what’s so funny?” Mac inquired as she entered the room, breaking the air of tension that had started to grow between Phryne and Jack. 

“Miss Fisher and the Inspector were discussing the method of restraining the victim,” Hugh informed her innocently. The doctor’s eyes darted from the victim on the bed to the looks in both Phryne and Jack’s eyes, a smirk forming on her face. 

“I see. Shall we get started with the examination, if all… binding techniques have been adequately discussed?” 

***

“What exactly classifies as ‘uncooperative’ in your book, Jack?” Phryne asked innocently over the rim of her whisky glass later that night. 

They had been talking about the case, all signs pointing towards an accidental death at this point, but even so, it took Jack a few moments to catch up with what she was talking about. His brain told him it was dangerous to have this conversation late at night, alone with Phryne in her parlor, but he did so enjoy teasing her back for all the torture she brought him with her glances and innuendos on a regular basis. 

“Ah, I did say suspect though,” he reminded her with a smile, taking a sip of his own whisky. 

“My mistake, of course,” Phryne spoke, her gaze casually flitting over his wrist. She unfolded her legs from underneath her and set her glass down before walking over to where Jack was sitting in an armchair, her movements graceful and unrushed.

Jack watched her as she approached, unsure what her plan was. He proceeded to almost drop his glass when she squeezed one knee next to his hip, settling herself on his upper thighs as she leaned forward, the tips of her hair brushing his nose, her mouth at his ear. 

“What,” she breathed into his ear, her breath the barest caress on his skin,” would one have to do to become a suspect?” 

Jack closed his eyes against the onslaught of her, her weight in his lap, her scent, her hands… _where_ were _her hands, come to think of it?_

“Phryne.” Her name came out as a groan, and more unsteady than Jack would have liked, his own free hand hovering uselessly in the air, unsure whether to _touch_ , to breach that line that he had set for himself a long time ago. 

And then she was gone from his lap again, sauntering over to the liquor cabinet, which gave Jack a few much needed seconds to collect himself. When she turned around she wore a slight smirk on her face, but her cheeks seemed a little more flushed than they had been, if Jack’s memory wasn’t fooling him. 

A quick glance towards his own wrist confirmed what he had already suspected. 

“Miss Fisher,” Jack murmured, setting down his glass before standing up, briefly confirming that his trousers weren’t tented to the point of embarrassment. Yet. 

“Inspector?”

“I believe you are in the possession of stolen goods,” he went on, trying his best to get into interrogation mode. He hoped he wasn’t misinterpreting things, but the look in Phryne’s eyes as he now slowly approached her only served to encourage him.

“Goodness, that is quite the allegation.”

“You could just hand it over,” Jack replied, giving her, them, an out if they wanted it. Neither of them did, apparently.

“You know me better than that, Jack,” Phryne returned, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Jack tilted his head in response, considering his options. 

“Isn’t searching suspects supposed to be part of good police work?” Phryne helped him and Jack grit his teeth to stop the situation in his trousers from becoming more pressing at the thought of searching her. 

“It is indeed. Though usually the suspects are restrain…” Jack trailed off, suddenly clearly seeing her intent for the rest of the night as he remembered their full conversation from that morning. Phryne smirked as she observed his realization, her eyebrow raised in challenge. Jack cleared his throat. “Um… as I was saying, usually the suspects are restrained. Given that they’re uncooperative and all that.” He added, fighting a smile as he tried to remain stern.

“Are you saying you plan on cuffing me?” Phryne kept pushing, though now Jack was prepared, managing to fight off a blush despite her innuendo. 

“Maybe not quite, but I’m sure we can find a suitable alternative,” he rumbled, looking around the room before looking back at Phryne, following her line of sight directly to his neck. _Oh._

“I’m quite sure I’ve found one,” Phryne grinned, making to step towards him, no doubt to assist him, but Jack stopped her with a stern look. If he let her get too close now, his already tenuous self-control would snap, he was convinced.

He loosened the knot of his tie before pulling the fabric from his neck, his eyes fixed on Phryne, who looked at him with inquisitive eyes. 

“If you would turn around,” he spun his finger and to his surprise Phryne complied, throwing him a sultry look over her shoulder. 

_Not so uncooperative after all_ , Jack thought to himself as he stepped up behind her, watching her shiver slightly. Jesus, what was he getting himself into? He didn’t allow himself too much time to analyze what he was about to do or what the trust she was placing in him truly meant as he reached out to draw Phryne’s arms behind her back, bringing her wrists together, letting his fingertips linger on her soft and warm skin as he did so, smiling when she wriggled her fingers for show. 

Phryne almost didn’t dare to breathe for fear of scaring him away as she curiously awaited Jack's next move. She bit back a moan when she felt his hands on her wrists again, this time joined by the soft fabric of his tie, wrapping tenderly around her joints. She held herself still even though her insides felt like they were vibrating, fireworks set off wherever Jack’s fingers touched her. 

“Suspect sufficiently restrained,” he murmured after a moment, prompting Phryne to lightly strain her wrists against his tie, testing his claim. He hadn’t bluffed; even though the silk was gentle and felt loose around her wrists, she couldn’t escape. For the first time in her life, that didn’t seem like a terrifying prospect; not with Jack. 

“Inspector, you do indeed know your knots, I can’t help but feel you’ve been holding out on me.” She pointed out, her tone appreciative, even if she was sounding a little breathless. She suddenly remembered his office when she had tied his tie and he had just briefly hinted at knowing his knots _“I’m curious as to how you do, Miss Fisher”._ She smiled at the memory.

“My knowledge pales in comparison to yours, I’m sure, especially when it comes to Japanese ones,” Jack smirked and Phryne felt a rush of arousal at his confident manner and the fact that here was yet another skill of his that she hadn’t previously discovered.

Jack stood behind Phryne, looking at his handiwork, realizing that he could just go ahead and touch her, breaking down the protective barriers he had erected for himself in the process. Not that Phryne would mind, standing still as she waited for him to do something. He inhaled deeply and then charged ahead, placing both of his hands on her hips, her body heat warming his palms through the thin fabric of her dress. Phryne shivered in front of him, her hands clenching into fists just once before she released them again. 

Jack leaned in closer, nuzzling his nose into her hair, trying to gather enough self-control to maintain some sort of professionalism during this search; a useless endeavour he realized as his step forward brought Phryne’s fingers in contact with the front of his trousers, his cock responding rather eagerly to the slight pressure. They moaned in tandem and Jack exhaled sharply against her ear as he pulled his hips back again. 

“Phryne.” Her name, muffled against her neck, uttered between soft kisses to her skin. 

“Are you usually this close to your suspects while searching them?” Phryne’s breathy whisper somehow managed to ground him, though instead of coming to his senses as he probably should have, Jack found himself wanting to get closer, wanting more of her skin, her voice, _her_. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever done something the ‘usual’ way when you’re around,” Jack pointed out as dryly as he could manage and Phryne chuckled appreciatively, the heavy feeling in the room slightly dissipating, instead being replaced by a heady desire.

“Well in any case, don’t let me stop you from proceeding with your search, Inspector.” 

Jack drew back from her neck, albeit with some difficulty, running his thumbs over her hipbones and he thought about how to get started, smiling as he recalled the various times Phryne had flashed him her garter and whatever she had hidden in it at the time. 

He was in this now anyway, Jack thought to himself as he let his hand slide down her silk covered thigh until he reached the hem of her dress, slipping his fingertips below the fabric to stroke her knee. Phryne’s breath caught in her throat but she said nothing and so Jack dared to continue, letting his hand move further up her thigh while keeping his hips out of reach of her own fingers. 

Even through the thin silk of Phryne’s stockings, Jack could feel goosebumps underneath his fingertips, and when a swipe of his pinky over the even smoother skin of her inner thigh elicited a wanton gasp, he did it again and again, until Phryne shuddered, her head dropping back onto his shoulder. 

Jack raised his head to look at her, her eyes closed and her red lips slightly parted, her body lax while simultaneously seeming to vibrate with barely contained energy beneath his touch. He resisted the urge to turn her head and press his lips to hers as he so longed to do, instead pressing a kiss against Phryne’s cheek before refocusing his attention on his hand, having finally reached her garter. Jack hooked a finger underneath the band and ran it around the perimeter of her thigh once, unable to contain a small moan at the warm humidity he encountered when he passed the innermost part of her thigh. 

“Have you found anything?” Phryne panted, her chest rising and falling heavily with her breaths. 

“Not what I set out to find.”

“Hm… maybe you should keep investigating.” 

The invitation wasn’t nearly as blatant as what his fingers were currently doing and Jack took another deep breath before letting his fingers travel even higher. He suddenly became aware that Phryne’s hips had started moving in small circles in counterpoint to the circles he was drawing on her thigh and he lightly bit down on her shoulder in an attempt to get control of his arousal. Of course it didn’t work as the small sting on her skin caused Phryne to jerk and groan, her wrists once against straining against the fabric binding them together, her fingers just short of reaching the now rather seriously tented fabric of Jack’s trousers. 

When his fingertips reached her knickers, Phryne rolled her hips into his touch, his fingers just skirting the crease of her thigh. She wondered if he could feel how wet she was and wished he’d move his fingers further, to the source of that wetness. 

Of course he didn’t, the damn tease, keeping his touch on the uppermost part of her thigh, below her knickers, lightly digging into her skin against the movement of her hips. Their push and pull led to a rocking rhythm that was so reminiscent of what they wanted to be doing that Jack eventually broke down in a chuckle to ease the tension in his chest, burying his face in Phryne’s neck once more.

“You didn’t hide it there, did you?” He asked softly and Phryne was almost tempted to lie so he’d keep exploring where he was, but the place where she had actually hidden his watch was yet untouched and _dear lord_ she wanted his hands there, too. She shook her head with a smile, still moaning in disappointment when Jack gave her thigh one last loving swipe of his thumb before withdrawing his hand. 

Phryne's disappointment was gone in a flash when Jack, without much pretense or games, place his hand on her waist, almost encompassing the width of her, before he started sweeping his fingers again, slowly but steadily moving upwards, while his other hand still kept her anchored by the waist. Phryne couldn’t resist arching her back just a little, delighting in Jack’s soft moan at the way her chest arched out now. His thumb had reached the lower curve of her breast, igniting her skin much like he had done below on her thigh. 

Jack swallowed thickly as his thumb encountered the soft swell of Phryne’s breast, it’s weight not insubstantial even with its small size. He resisted the urge to turn his hand to cup her fully, instead keeping up his sweeping motions, watching with satisfaction as her nipple pebbled against her dress. 

“Nothing here,” he commented, having fully committed to this insanity, before switching to the other side, once again starting at her waist and working his way up. Phryne was shifting in front of him, her hips still moving in small circles that were slowly but surely driving him insane, and she wasn’t even touching him.

Jack suddenly stilled as his thumb brushed against something underneath her dress that was decidedly not soft female flesh. He caught Phryne’s grin from the corner of his eye and reconfirmed what he already knew to be true. He’d never be able to wear his watch again without thinking where it had been, he realized. 

“Miss Fisher, I think I have found the property you stole.”

“Have you? Best retrieve it then,” she smirked. “I’d give you a hand, but…” she once again flexed her hands and Jack moaned as he looked down, seeing her reaching for him. Well, they had come this far. He finally stepped back up against her, connecting them from shoulder to hip, his erection pressing into her bound hands in what he assumed was unmistakable.

“Oh! Maybe I can give you a hand after all,” Phryne gasped at the sudden contact, her fingers stretching and molding around the shape of him. Jack just barely stopped himself from thrusting forward into her, not wanting her to lose her balance. He was also rapidly losing his will to keep up their game, however, and so he moved his hand directly onto her chest, his fingers already slipping between the neckline before he even registered what he was doing. 

Phryne’s moan when his fingers reached her nipple had him rocking forward after all, his hands keeping them both upright as they pressed and released against each other. Jack slid his hand the rest of the way forward, cupping her small breast and pinching her nipple between two fingers at the same time as Phryne swept her thumb over his tip. 

Jack groaned softly and then froze when a knock sounded on the door to the parlor, Mr. Butler’s voice tearing him out of the trance he had been under as he jerked his hand back out from underneath her neckline but remained pressed against her.

Phryne stilled as well but seemed to gather her faculties more quickly, keeping her grip on Jack’s erection, erasing any rational thought he might have had to step away from her. 

“I’ll be out in just a moment, Mr. Butler! I’m a little… tied up right now.” Phryne shouted to be heard and Jack almost snorted at her words as he heard her butler retreating again. 

“Jack,” she spoke softly as she turned around in his loosened grasp on her hips, way more elegantly than should have been possible given that her hands were tied behind her back, reluctance written across her face. He just shook his head, before bending his head, smiling when her head tilted back in invitation, before pressing a soft kiss to Phryne’s lips, pulling her closer by her hips as he tried to convey his emotions and his desire to continue what they had started. 

“Mr. Butler wouldn’t interrupt if it wasn’t important,” Phryne breathed when they parted, her surprise and delight at his kiss plain on her face, as well as the relief that he wasn’t shying away from her.

“I know,” Jack murmured, lifting a hand to stroke her cheek. “I’ll untie you.” 

He almost laughed at the ludicrousness of being able to say that to anyone, much less Phryne Fisher, but bit his tongue as waited for her to turn around again, watching as Phryne hesitated. “I… would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow?” The hope in her voice squeezed Jack’s heart and he nodded, swallowing. 

“I haven’t managed to retrieve my stolen property, after all,” he smiled, nodding towards her breast. Phryne smiled, honest and wide and leaned up to kiss him again, pressing her lips to his just a fraction harder before turning around, offering her wrists to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as it turns out this fic didn't cure my writer's block BUT the lovely and clear demand for a second chapter (I guess I should have known what the answer would be) definitely motivated me to write this second chapter. <3
> 
> No one is surprised that the rating went up, I'm sure. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy!

It was not dinner the next day when Jack saw Phryne again, in fact it wasn’t even the next day. 

He was just stepping out of the bath, having left Wardlow after Mr. Butler’s interruption had turned out to be concerning an internal crisis, aka Aunt Prudence. Phryne had gone off to deal with her aunt while Jack had excused himself, kissing her cheek and swallowing at the look of poorly disguised desire in Phryne’s eyes (not that he thought she wanted to hide it) before heading home. 

Being out of Phryne’s presence didn’t mean that he’d been able to keep their encounter in her parlour off his mind - how could he-, but he had been trying to push down the arousal their interaction had brought him. Jack was surprised to realize that he wasn’t worried about taking the next step with Phryne. When he thought about it, it was clear to him that they were both in love, even if their definitions of the term might vary slightly. They had just been held back from crossing the final line and succumbing to their feelings, for some reason or another. Or maybe they had just enjoyed the slow build up to what was bound to happen. Tomorrow, as it turned out. Jack was looking forward to it. 

He had just about finished toweling his hair when a noise from his bedroom made him freeze. He heard a muttered curse, the source of which was recognizable to him even in a whisper, and felt his body relax automatically before he tensed again as he realized _who_ was in his house. He quickly wrapped the towel around his hips before taking a careful step into the hall. 

“Miss Fisher?”

Silence for a moment. “How did you hear me?”

Jack suppressed a chuckle as he headed towards his bedroom, turning on the light to see Phryne sitting on the ground, rubbing her ankle.

  
“You weren’t exactly quiet,” he explained with a smirk, before walking over to her, trying to forget his own state of undress, not exactly made easy by Phryne’s eyes lingering on his naked torso. 

“What are you doing here?” _How does she even know where I live?_ Jack now inquired as he extended a hand to help her up, noting that she had changed outfits since he’d last seen her, now wearing a blouse and trousers, covered by a rather thick coat. 

“Well, I was thinking about you here, and imagined you waking up in the morning,...” Jack swallowed, undeniably curious to see where this was going. “... and then I realized you wouldn’t be able to tell the time without your watch and possibly be late for work.”

Jack was unable to keep an affectionate smile off of his face at the way her voice rose high in pitch as she provided her rather improvised explanation. 

“I do own a clock, you know.” 

“Best be safe rather than sorry, I figured.” 

“Very considerate of you, Miss Fisher, where is it then?”

“Hm?” She was still holding onto his hand, Jack noticed. 

“My watch.”

“Oh! Well, you see I figured that since you like searching suspects so much, if earlier was anything to go by, I’d hide it again.”

Jack couldn’t really do anything but finally pull her close in response, waiting briefly to confirm that she wasn't opposed before kissing her. Phryne smiled against his lips and melted against him, chasing his flavor that she had tasted all too briefly earlier. It seemed they were both on the same page where tasting each other was concerned, their kiss slowly building in intensity as they explored each other's mouths. A sweep of a tongue followed by a moan, a small bite soothed by gentle kisses. Jack allowed his hands to run over Phryne's back, the thick coat preventing him from really feeling anything, but he tried anyway, dropping one hand to her buttock, pulling her closer by the soft curve underneath the fabric. Phryne moaned against his lips and Jack pulled back, breathing heavily. 

“Should I get started with my search then?” he smirked with reddened lips and Phryne gasped out a laugh, her own chest rising and falling rather harshly with her breaths. 

“The sooner you’ll find it,” she quipped, making no move to step away from him as she let her gaze drift around his room. “That’s a nice headboard.”

Jack followed her gaze to his bed, glancing at the rather ordinary iron bars. Suddenly, a vision flashed in his mind of Phryne, naked on his bed, her hands wrapped around the iron bars, his tie from earlier around her wrists while Jack kneeled between her legs, his hands and mouth on her body. His breath caught in his chest; he was surprised that the image had forced its way into his brain in the first place as he hadn't exactly considered tying Phryne Fisher to his bed before. He looked back at Phryne and assumed his thoughts were written plainly across his face, because she looked at him appreciatively, smirking. 

“You wouldn’t still happen to have your tie from earlier?”

***

He hadn’t expected any of this, Jack thought, as he knelt above Phryne on the bed, her fully clothed (though she had removed her heavy coat), and him in just a towel. He appreciated that she hadn’t tried to remove it and touch him yet, because while his cock was aching for attention, their game would be over in an instant as Jack didn’t think his self-control could withstand her touch. Besides, he was enjoying their mutual anticipation and since Phryne seemed to be willing to go slow, so was he. 

Speaking of Phryne, she seemed happy with their positions and grinned up at him as she wrapped her fingers around two adjacent iron bars. Jack smiled, leaning down to kiss her before focusing on the tie in his hands, working quickly and efficiently, just like earlier. His hold on her arms was gentle, his fingertips fleetingly traveling over her skin as she felt the tie wrapped around her wrists, the concentration in his eyes only serving to inflame Phryne’s arousal as she watched him.

When he was done, Jack stroked a hand over the knot he had tied, trailing his fingers down her clothes arm as he pulled back and met Phryne’s eyes again, her pupils dilated as she stared back at him. 

“Tell me if I should untie you,” he reminded her softly. He didn’t take any overly great enjoyment from seeing her tied up, but the trust she was placing in him in letting him tie her up acted as an aphrodisiac all on its own. He knew what it took for Phryne Fisher to relinquish control over her freedom and he planned on protecting her trust in him at all costs.

“Of course,” Phryne nodded seriously before stretching her neck to press her lips to his. Jack eagerly returned the touch, pressing her head back down onto the pillows as their tongues met, their shared moan bringing him back to his senses, somewhat, at least.

“I better hurry up and find my watch then,” Jack smirked as he pulled back and Phryne stretched out luxuriously, settling herself back into her pillow as she nodded.

“Excellent plan.”

Jack sat up, stroking his hands up and down her sides. With the coat removed, his next barrier was her blouse, the silk draped over her body as if there was nothing between it and her skin. _Definitely no watch there_ , Jack thought, but moved his hands to the hidden buttons of the garment anyway. 

Phryne watched him with rapt attention, shivering when his jostling dragged the cool silk across her skin, her nipples hardening in response. She watched as Jack’s eyes flew to her breasts and saw his jaw clench before he refocused on the buttons, going faster now as he reached the last button. Only then did he smooth the sides away from each other and Phryne shivered again when he froze, his eyes on her chest. Her bare chest. 

Of course she had shown up to his house not wearing anything underneath her blouse, Jack realized, as his brain was still processing the perfect swells of her breasts, topped with dark pink nipples, the hard peaks begging to be touched. Or….

Jack bent down, nosing against the plump underside of her right breast, closing his eyes when he heard Phryne’s gasp. He moved to the other side, repeating his caress until Phryne shifted in a bid for more contact. Jack moved up slightly, wrapping his lips around her nipple in one swift move. Phryne jerked and groaned underneath him, her back arching to push more of her breast into his mouth. Jack devoured her greedily, the flavour of her bare skin, just carrying a faint trace of her perfume, intoxicating. He allowed himself to sink into sensation, feeling the hard press of her nipple against his tongue, the softness of her breast pillowing his chin, her heartbeat beating steadily against his lips. 

When he lightly bit down, Phryne jerked again and whimpered, and Jack raised his head to look at her, her head thrown back. He realized that he had come to lie between her thighs at some point, her legs wrapped around his hips, holding him close. He stifled a groan before lowering his mouth to her other breast, repeating his caresses while his hand came up to play with the flesh he had just left. 

“Hm, Jack,” Phryne eventually panted, her heel digging into his buttock, and Jack mumbled something unintelligible against her flesh. 

“Jack, please,” she whimpered as he swept his tongue over he nipple once more and Jack reluctantly drew back, his hips pulsing lightly against his mattress to soothe his own arousal. 

“Please,” Phryne repeated as she met his eyes, her own desire reflected in Jack’s gaze. 

He nodded slowly, leaning up to kiss her again, his tongue much more urgent this time. Phryne sucked on his bottom lip as he withdrew and Jack moaned, biting at her lip in retaliation before remembering their game. 

“So, you found a new hiding spot, I see,” he commented, his voice lower and raspier than he thought he’d ever heard it. 

“There wasn’t much space in my top. Besides, I’m nothing if not inventive,” Phryne smiled breathlessly, wrapping her legs tighter around him to pull him down against her again, both of them moaning at the pressure of his cock against her most intimate parts. Jack tried not to be embarrassed at the obvious way his towel was tented, not that Phryne seemed to mind, but at the same time he was a little beyond caring, gently unclenching Phryne’s legs so he could move down her body. 

A quick assessment of her trousers showed him the closures along her hip and he moved slightly shaky fingers to undo them, swallowing when the waist was loose. Another glance upwards showed Phryne looking at him through half-closed lids, straining her neck off the pillows to be able to watch him. Jack held her eyes for a few moments before the eye contact got too intense and he dropped his gaze to her waist again, slipping both hands underneath the hem of her trousers before pulling them down slowly, revealing more and more of her skin to him. 

He kept pulling off her trousers past blush colored knickers, past the top of her stockings, further and further down until he could pull them off, dropping them somewhere on the ground behind him without looking. He swallowed as he looked at her now, almost naked except for her garter belt, stockings and shoes, as well as her blouse, smoothed away from her chest but still covering her arms. Phryne's comfort in mind, Jack moved his hands to her shoes, sliding the straps through the buckles before carefully slipping the heels off of her feet. He blushed when he looked up and saw Phryne’s fond expression, and then slid his hands back up her legs, not stopping until he reached the top of her stocking.

Jack quickly surveyed the situation before him as he focused on his search, noting that there didn’t seem to be a watch underneath anywhere. He briefly considered if he was a fool for wanting to keep up a game searching for a watch when he had a half-naked and willing Phryne Fisher underneath him, before reminding himself that this was not a fleeting moment. He’d have her for a long time to come, he knew, and besides, it was only fitting that the teasing that had defined their relationship so far would accompany them in the bedroom as well. 

He leaned down to kiss Phryne, hard and fast, as he thought about just how much he enjoyed her teasing and Phryne returned his kiss with just as much vigour, not knowing what he was thinking about but happy to go with the flow if the flow involved Jack Robinson on her.The next thing she knew, her knickers were pulled off and Jack was kneeling between her legs, staring down at her in awe, his hands hovering in the air. Phryne blushed slightly at the open adoration on his face before raising her leg to trail a foot along his arm, unselfconscious in the way she was exposed to him. 

“I… I don’t see a watch," he uttered, mentally slapping himself for the dense statement, but it seemed his brain had slightly short-circuited. 

Phryne couldn’t stop the laugh from escaping her chest. “I should hope not.”

Jack shot her a look and moved his hands back to her legs, his palms hot and heavy on her thighs, lightly massaging her.

“Maybe you should guide me, tell me when I’m getting close.” 

“I can… oh, I can do that,” Phryne moaned softly as she watched Jack lick his lips, his gaze having traveled back between her thighs where she was sure her arousal was showing. “Not altogether cold, but you could be getting warmer,” she informed him.

Jack tore his eyes away from her glistening folds with great difficulty as he drew torturous shapes over the thin silk of her stockings with his fingers. He wasn’t sure if she was guiding him to the watch or another place but he found that he was fine with either option. 

“Warmer,” Phryne informed him with a sigh as she relaxed back onto the pillows, her eyes closed. 

Jack swept a thumb over the skin above her stocking and watched as Phryne bit her lip.

“Warmer.”

Jack dropped his eyes to his hands, swallowing hard as he allowed himself to look at her from this close, seeing the wetness on her skin. He inhaled and caught a whiff of her arousal, the realization that he was smelling _her_ making him groan. He moved a hand between her legs without thinking, sliding a finger through the wetness as he parted her folds, nudging against her opening. Phryne gasped loudly, her entire body shuddering as she jerked her head up. 

“Sorry,” Jack apologized on instinct and withdrew his hand.

“Jack,” she almost chuckled, shifting her hips toward him, hoping that he would repeat his caress and almost pouting when he wouldn’t, moving his hand with his now wet finger back onto the safer territory of her thigh.

“Right,” the man in question blushed sweetly, lowering his head to press a kiss against the soft skin of the crease of her hip, sweeping his tongue across her skin. 

“A little warmer,” Phryne gasped and Jack almost wished they could just abandon the game. On the other hand, it had brought them this far and it couldn't be much longer until he found that damn watch. He kissed his way up to her hip bone, moving his hand from her thigh to her lower belly to keep her steady. 

“Oh, warmer,” Phryne whispered. 

Jack once again wondered if she was still talking about the game and decided to tease her again as he let his hand on her belly drift downwards, fleetingly stroking his finger over the nub at the top of her folds. Phryne jerked again and whimpered, her hips chasing his touch. 

“Warm or cold?” Jack teased, proud that he was able to get the words out, seeing as he was barely managing to hold himself together at this point.

“Jaaaaack,” Phryne whined at his determination to keep up the game, before taking a steadying breath and reluctantly uttering her guidance. “ _Colder_.” 

“Hm, certainly feels very hot to me,” Jack quipped before removing his hand, smiling as he heard Phryne’s desperate laugh. 

“Warmer, warmer.” 

Her voice was more urgent now, willing him to move faster as Jack’s hands gently travelled over her hips, his fingers wrapping around to her buttocks. He tried to clear his mind enough to think of what nearby spot on her body he hadn’t looked at yet, his eyes drifting to her garter belt, still encompassing her waist…. Jack abruptly shoved his hands further underneath Phryne and she gasped as her hips were lifted off the bed by strong arms before she was dropped again. 

Jack was now perched on his knees above her with a triumphant look on his face. 

“Oh look, it’s my watch,” he stated matter-of-factly, just briefly looking at the object he was holding in his hand before chucking the thing over his shoulder, uncaring of where it landed, the sound of it hitting the ground audible just a moment later. 

Phryne’s honest laugh was swallowed by Jack’s lips as he descended back over her, his mouth more urgent now as he hungrily pried her lips apart. Phryne let herself get lost in Jack’s touch, eagerly pulling him back in with her legs while her hands strained against the tie. She vaguely registered Jack’s hands sliding up her arms but didn’t pay it much attention as he was keeping her rather spectacularly distracted with his tongue in her mouth. 

And then, suddenly, she was free. She was a little surprised but took the chance to immediately wrap her arms around Jack’s neck and shoulders, her fingers digging into his back and buttock as she pulled him closer still, the full weight of him pressing her into the mattress. Jack felt her mumble something against his lips but couldn't understand a word, reluctantly tearing his mouth from hers and pushing himself up on his elbows to look at her, keenly aware of the way Phryne was rhythmically pushing her pelvis against him.

“I would have been alright staying tied up,” Phryne panted with a smile as she met his eyes, stroking a finger down his cheek. 

“I have no doubt, Miss Fisher,” Jack rasped. Which, wasn’t strictly true; he had been surprised from the beginning that Phryne chose to give up her control of the situation and let him go at his own pace, trusting him not to take advantage.

But while he appreciated her trust in him and had enjoyed being able to explore her without her interference, Jack wanted to see her free, not limited by literal or figurative boundaries, like he had come to know her; love her. He wanted _his_ Phryne, unrestrained and yet choosing to be with him, stay with him. There’d be time for games later, he assumed and hoped, but for now, all he wanted was the assurance that she wanted him as much as he wanted her, that there was no place she’d rather be at the moment. 

“Besides, I think some freedom of movement would be beneficial.” He stated with a smirk, not wanting the light mood between them to disappear with the overly sappy sentiments in his head.

Phryne grinned before leaping up to kiss him again, pushing him onto his back with two strong hands on his shoulders, shrugging off her unbuttoned blouse as she went. Jack’s towel, which had miraculously stayed on until now, was quickly dispensed with and then Phryne was straddling him, his cock between her folds as she coated his underside with her arousal, her hands on his chest to steady herself. 

“How’s this for freedom of movement?” She murmured with a smile and Jack groaned, raising his hips to press into her, the sensation of a wet Phryne Fisher on him overwhelmingly, mind-numbingly good. His hands were on her hips, over the garter belt she still wore, and he tightened his grip, moving her on top of him in time with her own movements. 

“Phryne,” her name was all it took. Phryne smiled at him before raising herself up, one hand wrapping around his cock to position him at her entrance, before she lowered herself onto him, taking all of him in one downward thrust of her hips. 

“Jack,” his name gusted out of her without her control as his cock filled her. She wasn’t smiling anymore, her mouth open and her eyes closed as she allowed herself to feel the depth of their connection, going far beyond the physical. Jack’s hand on her cheek made her open her eyes again and she was met by a loving gaze, slightly glazed over by his own pleasure, yet filled with understanding for what she was feeling. 

Phryne shook her head with a smile and then covered his hand with her own, briefly stroking her thumb across the back of it, before grabbing onto his wrist. She did the same to his other hand, softly maneuvering both of Jack’s hands above his head. Phryne tilted her head in silent question when they were both in position, her fingers firmly around his wrists, her breasts almost in his face. In response, Jack raised his head, drawing one of her nipples into his mouth. He had no problems being captured, he’d stay by her side for as long as she’d have him. Phryne moaned as he sucked, raising and dropping her hips once, both of them gasping at the slide of Jack’s flesh against hers. And then they were moving with each other, against each other, setting a harsh rhythm fueled by months of repressed desire and love. 

Phryne felt herself climbing swiftly as she fucked him, her hips moving in a rhythm she had established with many other men, but it had never felt like this, had never been as right as this was. Jack tilted his pelvis in perfect counterpoint to her thrusts, pressing against her clit on every downward move. Combined with her breast in his mouth, Phryne’s hips soon lost their rhythm as she sped up, now frantically chasing her release as her grip on Jack’s wrists tightened. 

“Jack, _Jack,_ fuck.”

Jack gasped as he heard his name uttered so desperately from her lips, tightening his stomach muscles to hold off his own orgasm as he felt Phryne start to clench around him, her thighs tightening around his hips. Her back arched away from him, drawing her breast from his mouth and giving Jack the chance to see her face in ecstasy, her eyes squeezed shut, her skin flushed. He held himself still, save for small thrusts of his hips into her quivering flesh as she rode out her orgasm, soft sounds escaping her as she shook on top of him. 

As soon as the fluttering of her cunt stopped, Jack easily moved his arms out of Phryne’s hold, wrapping his arms around her back to draw her flat against his chest before rolling them over. His hips were moving in smooth strokes even before Phryne had fully landed on her back, thrusting desperately into the warm wet heat of her as she moaned, her face tucked into his neck.

Jack turned his head, meeting Phryne’s soft lips with his own, groaning as her tongue swept against his. Her hands were softly holding onto his back, her limbs still lax from her climax, but he felt the tension slowly returning to her body as he fucked her. Jack growled when Phryne gently bit at his lip, and felt her shiver underneath him in response, her legs wrapping around his hips. 

“Phryne,” he muttered against her mouth before capturing her lips with his again, feeling his spine starting to tingle. She just smiled against his lips and then tightened her grip on him, her nails scratching across his fevered skin at the same time as her inner walls clenched around him. With a hoarse shout, Jack came, his hips locked tightly with hers as his orgasm swept over him for what felt like an eternity, his face buried in her neck. 

***

Phryne’s hands were seemingly all over him, stroking softly over his back, his shoulders, his arms, his hips as their breathing calmed, while Jack was busy kissing the skin behind her ear, greedily inhaling their mixed scents. Eventually, he gently disengaged himself from her embrace and tugged his own arms out from underneath her, moving off to Phryne's side and pulling her with him. She smiled softly up at him as she nestled close, her leg twining between his, her finger coming up to his brow, trailing along his features. 

Jack indulged her, his fingers doing their own exploration on her skin, stroking strands of hair from her face and trailing the fingers of his other hand down her spine.

“I was worried,” Phryne began after a few minutes, her fingers still on his face. “That we’d do this and there would be a furrow in your brow afterwards.” 

Jack raised one of said eyebrows, prompting Phryne to continue, her voice slightly rougher than she normally allowed. 

“You furrow your brow when you’re confused, or annoyed, but also when you’re upset with me… or with yourself.”

Jack looked at her for a moment as he mulled over her words. _Had she thought he’d be upset with himself for finally succumbing to her charms, as if it was a matter of convincing him to do something he didn’t really want? Was the assumption that he'd somehow regret them taking the next step the reason she had held back? And in fact, had it possibly, subconsciously, been his own reason for waiting?_

“And is there?” He asked gently, smoothing his finger over her own brow. 

“Smooth as I’ve ever seen it,” Phryne admitted with a smile that quickly grew as she had her answer. She tugged him down into a kiss, her arms twining around his neck. Jack pulled back after a while, still not fully satisfied with the resolution. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this truly, unapologetically happy,” he confirmed, his voice gentle. “It feels like we’ve been..” he spotted his tie on the pillow behind Phryne’s head as he struggled to find the words he was looking for, “... tied together for so long, like there’s always been a connection. Maybe we just needed some time to figure out how strong that tie actually was before we trusted each other with our hearts completely.” Lord knew _he_ had tried to test the strength of their bond in the past, trying to walk away only to find he couldn’t. 

“I’ll protect it.” Phryne replied quietly, laying her hand over his heart and feeling the steady beat against her palm. She doubted Jack would ever know how much his trust in her meant. Phryne thought back to her first boyfriend, to the various men throughout her life, to René. They had trusted her with their pleasure, company, discretion. But none of them had ever deemed her trustworthy enough to give their hearts, nor had she ever wanted them to; certainly not after René, to whom she had almost lost hers. 

But she _wanted_ Jack’s heart, his trust placed in her hands, wanted his courage to enable her own, so she could finally let her own heart go and fly freely towards him, knowing that he’d keep it safe. And the idea that they had been tied together for a long time was not an unwelcome one, surprisingly. In fact she had felt it, too, almost from the very beginning. And it had been comforting, _was_ comforting, knowing that there was a connection, strong enough to catch her if she fell, to shelter her when she needed it, yet loose enough not to hold her back. It was just… there. 

“I know you will,” Jack murmured, laying his palm over where hers rested against his chest. He smiled and Phryne grinned after a few moments, reminding herself to live in the moment, which included a naked Jack Robinson. 

“You escaped out of my grip far too easily,” she pointed out, running her other hand up to his strong wrist. 

“Let me have at least one advantage over you,” Jack begged with a grin, reluctant to let her move away from him as she turned over, spotting the tie behind her. 

“Of course, but… I wonder what it would be like if you couldn’t so easily escape,” Phryne mused, running the tie through her fingers. If it hadn’t been her uttering the words, Jack might have been reluctant, but it _was_ her, and the twinkle in her eyes held nothing but promises.

“I’m sure you’ll solve the mystery soon enough,” he replied, feeling his body respond to her suggestion, and Phryne laughed, dropping the tie to wrap herself around him once more, her tongue in his mouth. 

There’d be plenty of time and opportunity to explore all the ways in which they could be tied.


End file.
